Peroxin Puzzles and Folded Freight: Peroxisomal Protein Import in Review

Peroxisomes are organelles that perform a variety of functions, including the metabolism of hydrogen peroxide and the oxidation of fatty acids. Peroxisomes do not possess organellar DNA; all peroxisomal matrix proteins are post-translationally translocated into the organelle. The mechanism of peroxisomal protein translocation has been the subject of vigorous research in the past decade. Many of the proteins (peroxins, abbreviated Pex) that play critical roles in peroxisome biogenesis have been identified through functional complementation of yeast strains and of Chinese hamster ovary cell lines that are defective in peroxisome biogenesis. Researchers are now turning towards biochemical and genetic analyses of these peroxins to define their roles in peroxisome biogenesis and to discover interacting protein partners. Evidence suggests that some of the interacting partners include molecular chaperones. Several current models for peroxisomal protein import are presented.     

Population biology ofMacrocystis integrifolia from British Columbia,Canada

Aspects of the population dynamics ofMacrocystis integrifolia Bory were determined from harvested wild populations over a 26-month period and cultivated plants over a 40-month period. Mean wild plant size varied from 0.1 wet kg and two fronds in the winter to 3.1 wet kg and mine fronds in the summer. Plant recruitment probably occurred year-round with recruits making up 20 to 86% of the total population. Plant half-lives, estimated from population data, ranged from 1 to 3 months, with few plants exceedings 2 to 3 years in age. Standing crop ranged from 1.6 plants m^-2 and 0.1 wet kg m^-2 in winter to 8.3 plants m^-2 and 8 wet kg m^-2 in summer.     

Surface retention and photochemical reactivity of the diphenylether herbicide oxyfluorfen

The photochemical behavior of oxyfluorfen [2-chloro-1-(3-etoxy-4-nitrophenoxy)-4-(trifluoromethyl) benzene] on two Greek soils was investigated. Soils were sampled from Nea Malgara and Preveza regions, characterized by a different organic matter content. Soils were spiked with the diphenyl-ether herbicide and irradiation experiments were performed either in the laboratory with a solar simulator (xenon lamp) or outside, under natural sunlight irradiation; other soil samples were kept in the dark to control the retention reaction. Kinetic parameters of both retention and photochemical reactions were calculated using zero-, first- and second- (Langmuir-Hinshelwood) order equations, and best fit was checked through statistical analysis. The soil behaviors were qualitatively similar but quantitatively different, with the soil sampled from the Nea Malgara region much more sorbent as compared with Preveza soil. All studied reactions followed second-order kinetics and photochemical reactions were influenced by retaining capability of the soils. The contributions of the photochemical processes to the global dissipation rates were also calculated. Two main metabolites were identified as 2-chloro-1-(3-ethoxy-4-hydroxyphenoxy)-4-(trifluoromethyl)benzene and 2-chloro-1- (3-hydroxy-4-nitrophenoxy)-4-(trifluoromethyl)benzene.     

Quality assurance for the measurements and monitoring of radioactivity in the environment

During the Fifth Framework Programme (FP5) of the European Commission--according to an institutional programme in support to the policy of the European Commission for the implementation of Art. 35 and 36 of the Euratom Treaty as well as in the framework of the OSPAR Convention for the protection of marine environment of the north-east Atlantic--at the Institute for Transuranium Elements (ITU--General Directorate Joint Research Centre--European Commission), a reference laboratory for the measurement of radioactivity in the environment (MaRE laboratory) has been set up. In this paper, the principles and philosophy in order to improve the quality and reliability of analytical data for the measurement and monitoring of radioactivity in the environment under a quality assurance (QA) programme are presented. Examples of how a QA programme at the MaRE laboratory is developed and applied are given. Internal and external quality control (QC) programmes are also discussed.     

The Ethiopian crisis of 1999-2000: lessons learned,questions unanswered

During 1999-2000, Ethiopia was brought to the edge of a major disaster, with some 10 million people estimated to be in need offood assistance at the height of the crisis. A repeat of the catastrophic famine of 1984-5 was avoided, but the numbers of people affected, the loss of life and the destruction of livelihoods made this one of the most serious crises in the Horn of Africa in the past 15 years. The humanitarian community has been slow to recognise the lessons of 1999-2000, and there have been surprisingly few attempts to conduct a serious, post-event evaluation of the overall crisis and response. The label famine averted' seems to summarise the crisis to the satisfaction of most parties involved. This paper reviews the crisis, the events that led up to it and the response effort. It examines thefactors that contributed to making this crisis so serious, in order to draw conclusions and note issues that are relevant to current thinking about disaster preparedness and response - in Ethiopia and elsewhere. Some of the lessons learned from the 1999-2000 crisis are not new. However, the veryfact that mistakes have been repeated should be a lesson to the humanitarian community.     

Pollutant removal efficacy of three wet detention ponds

Monthly inflow and outflow data were collected from three wet detention ponds in Wilmington, North Carolina, for a 29-mo period. Two ponds drained urban areas consisting primarily of residential, mixed services, and retail usage, while the third mainly drained residential and golf course areas. One of the urban ponds achieved significant reductions in total nitrogen, nitrate, ammonium, total phosphorus, orthophosphate, and fecal coliform bacterial counts. This pond was characterized by a high length to width ratio, with most inputs directed into the upper area, and extensive coverage by a diverse community of aquatic macrophyte vegetation. The second urban pond achieved significant reductions in turbidity and fecal coliform bacterial counts, but there were no significant differences between inflowing and outflowing water nutrient concentrations. There were substantial suburban runoff inputs entering the mid- and lower-pond areas that short-circuited pollutant removal contact time. The golf course pond showed significant increases in nitrate, ammonium, total phosphorus, and orthophosphate in the outflow relative to the inflow, probably as a result of course fertilization. However, nutrient concentrations in the outflow water were low compared with discharges from a selection of other area golf courses, possibly a result of the outflow passing through a wooded wetland following pond discharge. To achieve good reduction in a variety of pollutants, wet pond design should include maximizing the contact time of inflowing water with rooted vegetation and organic sediments. This can be achieved through a physical pond design that provides a high length to width ratio, and planting of native macrophyte species.     

Photochemistry and photoinduced toxicity of acifluorfen, a diphenyl-ether herbicide

Photochemistry studies can be helpful in assessing the environmental fate of chemicals. Photochemical reactions lead to the formation of by-products that can exhibit different toxicological properties from the original compound. For this reason the photochemical behavior of the herbicide acifluorfen (5-[2-chloro-4-(trifluoromethyl)phenoxy]-2-nitrobenzoic acid) in the presence of different solvents was studied. Photochemical reactions were carried out using a high-pressure mercury arc and a solar simulator. Kinetic parameters and quantum yields were determined. The identification of photoproducts was performed by mass spectrometry and [1H] nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Nitrofluorfen, hydroxy-nitrofluorfen, 2-chloro-4-(trifluoromethyl)phenol, 5-trifluoromethyl-5'-nitrodibenzofuran, and other derivatives were identified. The photochemical reactions were also carried out in the presence of either a singlet or a triplet quencher, and in the presence of either a radical initiator or a radical inhibitor. Substances used as inhibitors of the excited levels T1 and S1 showed that photodegradation of acifluorfen begins from a singlet state S1 through a pi,pi* transition. The role of free radicals in the photodegradation of acifluorfen was determined and a radical mechanism was proposed. Toxicity tests against Daphnia magna Strauss showed that acifluorfen was not toxic at a concentration of 0.1 mM; however, photoproducts formed after 36 h of UV exposure of the herbicide induced a remarkable toxicity to the test organism.     

Evaluation of Rio Grande Management Alternatives Using a Surface‐Water/Ground‐Water Model1

Abstract: Previous investigations observed significant seepage losses from the Rio Grande to the shallow aquifer between Socorro and San Antonio, New Mexico. High‐resolution telescopic modeling was used along a 10‐km reach of the Rio Grande and associated drains and canals to evaluate several management alternatives aimed at improving river conveyance efficiency. Observed data consisted of ground‐water and surface‐water elevations, seepage rates along the Rio Grande and associated canals and drains, and borehole geology. Model calibration was achieved by adjusting hydraulic conductivity and specific storage until the output matched observed data. Sensitivity analyses indicated that the system was responsive to changes in hydrogeologic properties, especially when such alterations increased vertical connectivity between layers. The calibrated model predicted that removal of the low flow conveyance channel, a major channel draining the valley, would not only decrease river seepage by 67%, but also decrease total flow through the reach by 75%. The decreased flow through the reach would result in increased water logging and an average increase in ground‐water elevations of 1.21 meter. Simulations of the system with reduced riparian evapotranspiration rates or a relocated river channel also predicted decreased river seepage, but to a much lesser degree.